Torrington >> Santa Claus, his reindeer and Christmas spirit are all coming to town to spread holiday cheer during Christmas Village's 65th year, opening for children of all ages on Dec. 9.

A parade will kick off the event, starting at the Armory at 12:30 p.m. and continuing up Main and Mason streets to end at the beloved Christmas Village.

There will be an opening ceremony at 1 p.m., hosted by former Mayor Mike Conway and featuring the Leo Little Band, with the National Anthem sung by Lynn Whittaker and an invocation given by Father Robert Tucker of St. Anthony's of Padua Church. The doors to the "Winter Wonderland" will then open up for adults and children to enjoy.

When Torrington resident, Carl Bozenski, first dreamt of creating something "that was real Christmas for his son and other children" in 1947, he didn't realize that it would turn into a phenomena that children from all parts of the country would come to and love.

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Bozenski, former Torrington Parks and Recreation Supervisor, started Christmas Village since he was frustrated with the commercialization of Christmas. He decided to invite Santa and Mrs. Claus, the reindeer, and the elves to give the town a special Christmas.

Since then, the two-week event ranks in typically up to 30,000 people from across the state and country to participate in the magical event.

"As a fire crackles in the fireplace and the ceiling sparkles with tinsel and bulbs, Santa listens to the thousands of children that visit him. They come from Torrington, from every city and town in Connecticut, and from beyond the state line too. Christmas really takes on the spirit of the holiday here," said Ruby Zagoren, writer of an article in the Dec. 1960 edition of the Yankee.

While children are able to sit upon Santa's lap and ask for their most-desired Christmas presents, the elves are busy at work in a work shop filled with dolls, stuffed animals and trains and real-life reindeer greet the crowd from their pens.

"It has been a significant part of Torrington's history because virtually every child who grows up here or in surrounding towns visits Christmas Village and has very strong memories of that," said Mark McEathern, executive director at Torrington's Historical Society.

Many national recreation journals, national magazines and widely circulated newspapers such as the New York Times, heavily publicized Christmas Village in the 1950s. Based on the uniqueness, reputation and success of Christmas Village, Torrington was typically dubbed as "Christmas Town" over 60 years ago.

As Christmas Village was the first of its kind to open in the United States, the next Christmas attraction related to Torringtons' was William Koziar's Christmas Village, which opened up in 1948 and is still a running success in Bernville, Pennsylvania.

Other Christmas attractions remain such as Santa's Village in Jefferson, New Hampshire and Santa's Land in Putney, Vermont.

Torrington's most beloved event, nonetheless, keeps Christmas alive and true for visitors of all ages.

It is a very magical place for children to experience," said Donna Winn, Recreation Director. "It also brings back many fond memories for adults who visited Christmas Village in years past. It's like taking a step back in time."

In order to raise funds to support Christmas Village and to purchase toys for all children who visit Santa, the Annual Toy Shower will be held on Dec. 7 from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Yankee Pedler Inn.

For entertainment, there will be stories read by the Torrington Library, trolley rides and ice sculpting.

From the wide success of the Toy Shower, each child last year was given a gift, visited with Santa and Mrs. Claus, watched the elves making toys, listened to Christmas music, sampled delicious hot chocolate, and watched Santa's reindeer play.

Christmas Village, located at 150 Church St., will be open Dec. 9 to Dec. 23 from 1 to 8:30 p.m. and Christmas Eve from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Questions regarding Christmas Village can be directed to Torrington Parks and Recreation Department at 860-489-2274.